Pocket-book protector.



w. A. MACDONALD.

POCKET BOOK PROTECTOR.

APPLlCATlON FILED JAN-9 1915.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

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POCKET-BOOK PROTECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 9,1915, Serial No, 1,433.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM AfMAG- DONALD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Needham Heights, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocket-Book Protectors, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a device adapted to be attached to pocket-books or other valuable articles and adapted toanchor 'or secure the pocket-book, etc, so as to prevent theft of the article by a pickpocket.

it is the object of the invention to provide a protector of this character which acts by engaging the walls of the pocket at a point so far within the mouth of the pocket as to make well nigh impossible the disengage ment of the protector by the thief without the attempt becoming perceptible to the wearer of the pocket.

The invention consists in the features which I will now describe in connection with the drawings forming a part of this application. e I

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevat on of my protector applied to a pocket-book, showing in full lines the closed or inoperative position of the protector, and in dotted lines the extended or operative position of the same. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the protector; i a

The same reference charactersindicate the same parts in all the figures. i

In the drawings a represents generally any sort of pocket-book or wallet, or other article, adapted to be carried in the pocket, which a pickpocketwould be likelyto de sire and the owner prefer to keep.

6 represents the base member of the protector, such base being conveniently made as a thin but strong plate or strip of'metal. Said base is provided with means, such as safety pins 0 and (Z, or any other, suitable connections, for attaching it securely to the pocket-book. The particular connecting means here shown, consisting of safety pins, are represented merely for'the purpose'of illustrating an operative means without limiting intention,

Thebase member carries a stud d to which are connected the spring arms 0 and f, said arms being conveniently formed as a single piece of strong wire which is coiled about the shank of the stud (Z and is confined by the head 9 thereof as appears from Fig. 2. V The form and resilience of the spring arms tends to hold them in the position shown in'dotted lines of Fig. 1 when they are unconfined. In this position their ends are spread apart 1and1 extend beyond the sides of the pocket '00 r.

2', each of which carries a prong 7' adapted to penetrate the fabric 'forming'the pocket.

The arms are so set that'when unconfined they will spread apart more widely than the width of the pocket inwhich the wallet is carried, whereby, when released within the pocket, they will cause the prongs j to penetrate the fabric of'the pocket and thereby fasten the wallet so'that it can not be withdrawn without turning the pocket inside out.' i

Arms 70 and Z are pivoted to the base 6 on a stud m, being provided for operating the spring arms 6 and f. The operating arm in carries an eye n'which admits thespring arm 6, and the operating arm Z carries a similar eye which receives the spring arm 7, The arms or levers 7c and Z are connected by links 0, and 0, respectively, with a slide 9 which slides on the base between guideways 1' and carries a pin 8 passing through a slot t Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

To the spreading ends of said spring arms, are connected respectively blocks-hand in the base and to which is attached are- Y tainer uon the under side of the base, t'alneror guide c is formed or attached on the end of the base and embraces the slide 9,

assisting to restrict the path of movement of said slide. Attached to thefslide is a transverse piece-having two wi'ngs'w andm,

which lie close to the plane in which the blocks h and i carryingthe attaching prongs swing, and extendbeyond the sides of the pocket-book and alsobeyond the points of the prongs y when the latter are retracted.. I j y represents a stop mounted near the pivot point of the levers lcfand Z, against which shoulders 7c and Z on' saidlevers are adapt ed to abut.

Areit '2 represents springcarried by the block: i

u of slide 9', which eXtendsover theendofv thebase b when the slide'isat the outer limit 7 r of movement. Such end'of .th'ebase thus forms abutment which is engagedv resiliently by the spring sin a manner such that the spring must be displaced before the slide can be moved. This spring is a fiat strip of spring metal which is offset from its point, 'of connection with the block a toward the plane of the base and is under such stress as to cross said plane when brought beyond the end of the base.

When the slide is brought into the position shown in full lines in the drawings the operating levers la and Z are swung toward one another, and they draw in the spring inserted in the pocket. Now if the pocket,

book is pushed into the pocket endwise in the usual manner, the end of the slide first strikes the bottom of thepocket, and upon continuing the thrust on the pocket-book,

the resistance of the spring .2 is overcome and this spring is disengaged. Then the spring arms immediately fly out, carrying the actuating levers with them and drawing up the slide, until they are arrested by the shoulders 70 and Z on the operating levers coming into contact with the stop 3 The parts are now in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the prongs being spread apart and entered into the fabric of the pocket. With the protector in this condition the pocket-book can not be drawn out of the pocket without turning the latter inside out,and without making a commotion which will be easily felt by the intended victim. But if the possessor of the pocketbook wishes to take it out, he can do so readily enough by pressing down upon the levers'k and Z, whereby the spring arms are drawn in, the prongs retracted, and the slide g projected. The wings w and w perform their function in this operation by holding back the fabric of the pocket in case the same should be flexible and free enough to be pulled back with the prongs, holding the fabric away so that'the prongs will be drawn out of it. The spring a automatically catches when the levers have been moved down as far as possible, whereby the prongs are held in their retracted position and it becomes possible to remove the pocket-book without difficulty. These levers are set so far down on the pocket-book that they are far within the mouth of the pocket which contains the pocket-book, so far indeed' as to make it practically impossible fora pickpocket to operate them without giving warn ing 'to the wearer.

The particular form of the invention herein illustrated is not necessarily the final form embodying the invention which I may make. It is one which I have embodied in practice and which is susceptible of being limited by the terms of the appended claims.

Neither do I limit the invention to one in which the arms 6 and fare themselves springs,-for such arms can be made rigid, or nearly so, and may be distended by a spring or springs applied in an obvious way. The'essential attribute of this part of the invention is that the members carrying the prongs should be automatically actuated, whether by their own resilience or by an applied spring is immaterial, so as to be thrown outwardly whenever they are permitted so to move. I j I The part which I have called slide 9 is a sort of trigger operated by striking the bottom of the pocket when the pocket-book is thrust in so as to release the restraining means, the same comprising the parts which hold the prongs retracted, and allow the prongs to spread apart.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pocket-book retainer comprising a base member adapted to be detachably secured to a pocket-book, pocket-engaging members mounted on said base and movable with capability for being projected beyond the edges of the pocket-book, means for normally holding said engaging members in retracted position, and a trigger projecting beyond said base adapted to be actuated by striking the bottom' of the pocket to release said holding means and permit projection of the pocket-engaging members.

2. A pocketbook retainer comprising a base plate having means for connection detachably with a pocket-book, arms connected to said base plate, pocket-engaging members carried by said arms, the arms being resiliently urged outwardly to engage with the sides of a pocket, a slide mounted movably on said base and having a trigger portion projecting beyond the end of the base, retracting means engaged with said arms and connected to the slide, adapted to retract the arms when the slide is placed where the trigger portion thereof projects to'its greatest extent beyond the base plate, and holding means for maintaining the slide in the last-named position.

8. A pocketbook retainer comprising a base member adapted to be connected to a pocket-book, spring arms mounted upon said base member, pocket-engaging devices carried by said arms, the arms being so formed and arranged as to tend to project the pocket-engaging devices beyond the limit of the ordinary pocket, a slide mounted on the base and projecting beyond one end thereof, said slide being movable longitudinally of the base, links pivoted to said slide, retracting means engaged with the links and with said arms, all arranged so that when the slide is projected to its greatest extent beyond the base, said arms and the pocket-engaging members'are withdrawn to the fullest extent, andayieldable holder for said slide adapted to retain it in the said projecting position, said retainer being adapted to be disengaged when the slide strikes the bottom of a pocket, whereby the slide is released and the arms are enabled to project the pocket-engaging devices.

t. In combination with a pocket-book, pocket-engaging members, means normally tending to project said members beyond the edges of the pocket-book, a holder for retaining said members in retracted position and a trigger projecting beyond the end of the pocket-book adapted to strike the bottom of the pocket upon insertion into the latter of the pocket-book, and to be moved relatively to the latter, said trigger being adapted to release said holding means and to permit projection of the pocket-engaging members.

5. The combination with apocket-book of V pocket-engaging members, yieldable means tending to project said members beyond the edges of the pocket-book, means normally holding said members within the boundaries of the pocket-book, and a trigger operable upon insertion of the pocket-book into a pocket by striking the bottom of the latter, to release said retaining means and thereby cause projection of the engaging members.

6. A pocket-book guard comprising a base member, arms mounted on said base member having prongs on their free ends and'bemg resiliently urgedoutwardly so as to engage the sides of a pocket in which said pocketbook may be placed, controlling levers pivoted on said base member engaging saidinns, and adapted to be moved so as to withdraw said arms, and means for retaining said levers in the position wherein they hold sald arms withdrawn.

7. A pocket-book retainer comprising a base member, spring arms mounted on said base member and having prongs on their outer ends and being under stress tending to move their prongs outwardly, levers pivoted to said base, each having a controlling en gagement with one of said arms, a slide of the center line of the base member, said arms having pocket-engaging members on their outer ends, controlling levers mounted on the base, each lever engaging one of said arms in such a way that when said levers are swung toward one another, said arms are broughtnearer together, a trigger member mounted movably on said base, links connecting said levers to said trigger member whereby movement of the links and the trigger member takes place simultaneously, and said trigger member being so formed as to project beyond the base when the levers are brought toward one another, and a releasable catch for holding'the trigger member in such position.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of a witness.

' WVILLIAM A. MACDONALD. lVitness: V

ARTHUR H. BROWN.

'l'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

